Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-10-22
INTER-OCEAN

INTER-OCEAN
Villas "sIMPLICITY."
He Will Build a Manslon-Mary-
land and Higgins.
Special Correspondence of the I~NrER.OcEAN.
WASHINGTON, Oct. ls.-The postmas-
ter general is not satisfied to be doomed
by Grover, but he intends to boom him
self for all he is worth. He is in town
for the first time, politically, and means
to have . good time if he spends every
cent he has in peanuts. Many a fine po-
sition has been captured by the lavish
and judicious use of wine in Washington.
Villas knows it. He has just completed
arrangements for the purchase of an ex-
cellent residence on X street, the FASH
ionable thoroughfare of this city, and
will furnish it to the best of his ability
like a palace. He has not bought this
house for his health. He had a good
house before, but less pretentious. He
has bought this splendid property for
the sole purpose of entertaining people
at the National capital during the COM
ing long and important session Of on
gress. He intends to be agreeable and
make friends ifhe can. He needs them.
I have said heretofore, and shall not
hesitate to repeat it, that Col. Villas has
as few friends in the country as any man
in the cabinet or in any way connected
with the administration today. This fact
is mo- stated az an animadyersion, but as
a matter of actual knowledge. The
trouble is, Villas has misconceived his
office, and therefore his tremendous
efforts n many days and nights ofhard
work have been m~isdirectcd. The cler-
ical force of his department is hostile to
him. The men and women who like him
are very few indeed. The ause of this
state ofaffairs is not dificult to ascertain.
Col. Villas has not made the personal
acquaintance of his subordinates, but
has left them like so many sheop, to the
care of a very poor shepherd. Every
n of his subordinates has access to
some member of congress and senator.
Every man in either house of congress
has learned from some friend in the de-
partment that Villas was doing this, that,
and the other thing, which was repre-
honsible. The petty annoyances which
were heaped upon ladies and gentlemen,
the sneaking surveillance and open in
suits to which they were subjected by a
common boor from the woods, the libels
uttered and published concerning more
than one of their number-libels uttered
and urged by a man who represents
Vilas-all these things hayo but tended
to make his s%ubordinates in tho depart
ment his enemies. Col. Villas regarded
them as poor churls, serfs of the Repub-
lie, who could neither help nor harm
him. Alas, there vas his fatal mistake.
Every n of the men and women who
have felt themselves aggrieved and
abused by a petty authority which Villas
delegated to another has become an ac-
tive and a dangerous enemy. Conse-
quently it will require the expenditure
of great deal of time and money for
him to overcome the present state offeel-
ing which has been excited against him.
Better than all of his house buying and
lavish entertainment would it be for
Villas to Gomez right down to his clerks
and get acquainted with them, and cali
them by name, and know them. Every
man in that department knew Frank
Hatton as a personal acquaintance and
friend. Hatton was never too big for
his brooches, but would go and sit down
beside the men and converse with them
concerning their work, and'occasionally
tell them q good story. Every one of
them will fight for Frank Hatton today,
or any day, as long as they live. Itdon't
take much to bring men to the point of
liking a fellow in public life. Neither
does 1t take much to get them to hating
one intensely. If. instead of trying to
compel people to worship at the shrine
Of his really wonderful intellect, Roscoe
Conklin had placed an occasional smile
and pressure of the hand where it would
do the most good, he might have at
tanned the presidency, or remained in
the senate during q lifetime. But he
was above making friends. When a man
gets to that far and dizzy height, he is
just too low for angles to reach him, and
too high for mon to worship. There has
been a danger that Col. Villas would lift
himself to such pinnacle, and be lost to
the sight of earth. The purchase of his
house demonstrates that he still retains
enough self command to reason for HIM
self and understand that votes must be
gotten beneath the clouds, and the fell
lows who own them, as sovereigns,
must be cultivated. You will hear this
winter, of at least tri-weekly receptions
at the Villas mansion, and the wonderful
display of hospitable junction beneath
the Villas roof. Keep your eye on him
and see him ''get there Eli"
And now they say Sparks is going.
He has at last come into direct conflict
with Mr.. Lamar, and there is little doubt
as to which of them is the ADLER man..
Lamar stands very close to the president.
His word is worth its weight in golc,
every time, and If he says bounce,
Grover will bounce and Sparks will fly
upward. Indeed, the predictions of
Scripture always come true, and it is
recorded in the book Of Job, that "Sparks
will fly upward" His best friends haye
always supposed that he would 20 to
heaven, but it appears now that he is to
be bounced. So the commentators have